


Vulnerable and Exhausted

by remi_wolf



Category: Fire Emblem: Fuukasetsugetsu | Fire Emblem: Three Houses
Genre: Angst, Brain Damage, Fire Emblem: Three Houses Black Eagles Route, Healing, Injury, M/M, Memory Loss, Pining, Post-Timeskip | War Phase (Fire Emblem: Three Houses), Whump, Whumptober 2020
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-26
Updated: 2020-10-26
Packaged: 2021-03-08 21:35:30
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,563
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27223606
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/remi_wolf/pseuds/remi_wolf
Summary: After Hubert faces a serious injury after what was supposed to be an easy, simple trip driving out some bandits, Ferdinand finds himself sequestering himself in the infirmary. He just wants Hubert to wake up. He needs to talk to Hubert, and he needs to make sure that Hubert's okay, that he didn't fail and get Hubert hurt because he wasn't there in time. What he can do, though, is stay there until he wakes up.Whumptober 2020: Day 26. Prompts: Concussion. Alternate Prompt: Memory Loss.
Comments: 1
Kudos: 3
Collections: Beguilements and Distractions, Remi's Whumptober Collection for 2020, Whumptober 2020





	Vulnerable and Exhausted

It wasn’t supposed to be much more than a brief skirmish. Nothing more than a brief battle to deal with a few bandits trying to take advantage of the situation and advantage of the war, but something went wrong. A mage working for the bandits had a spell go wide, far too wide, and while Hubert had been able to avoid the spell itself, it ricocheted against some stone, sending it flying and cracking against his head. 

The fight was finished swiftly at that point, and Ferdinand rushed Hubert to safety so Linhardt could attempt to heal him, to try and fix whatever happened and the sluggish bleeding. At least it didn’t take too long for them to get there, but even then, the look on Linhardt’s face made it clear that they weren’t too optimistic about Hubert’s chances. 

Ferdinand paced, trying not to let his worry take advantage of himself, but he also knew that it was quickly growing to be too much. He kept pacing, and Edelgard would look at him briefly before frowning for a moment and disappearing, and Linhardt kept telling him to quiet down or sit down or any number of things or else he’d be getting a sleeping draught slipped into his water before long. 

It didn’t help Ferdinand too much, but he at least sat down and pretended that it would be fine for now. He didn’t know what to do, but he hated the idea of leaving. What if Hubert woke up? What if Hubert was confused, or didn’t know where he was, or tried to attend to Edelgard immediately already? The spiral of thoughts swiftly had him confused and wishing for something to happen, and he found himself pacing next to Hubert’s bed all over again. 

“Ferdinand.”

He looked up, frowning at Linhardt before looking back at Hubert, seemingly sleeping peacefully. Not even a nightmare to be seen, and wasn’t that a shock. He couldn’t remember the last time Hubert didn’t thrash in his sleep as though he was being attacked by countless unseen forces. 

“I’m fine. Just pacing. Making sure that everything’s fine,” Ferdinand finally said, forcing a smile onto his face as he looked back at Linhardt before it faded slightly and he looked back at his hands. “Is everything fine?”

“Other than you?” Linhardt snorted quietly before shrugging. “As fine as it can be. Hubert was hurt, and brain injuries are always confusing. No one really knows what could happen. He could wake up entirely fine, or he could wake up without any sense of morality.”

Ferdinand snorted quietly before glancing back at Hubert. “So the same, then.”

“That’s not very nice or noble of you.”

Ferdinand hummed, a quiet and confused sound as he glanced back at Linhardt before shaking his head. “What? No, it’s the truth, really. Haven’t you noticed that? He doesn’t really have a sense of morality or empathy. He tends to base it on those around him. He does what he thinks Edelgard would do or want, or what the Professor would have wanted of him. He keeps an eye on his battalion like you would want, wanting to ensure he doesn’t send more bloody soldiers into your infirmary at all.” Ferdinand shrugged before walking over to Hubert’s side, brushing a hand against Hubert’s cold fingertips. “I rather admire him for it.”

“Ah. Oh..." Linhardt frowned for a moment, hand lifting up as Ferdinand could practically see the gears turning and winding springs in his head, and he nodded. “I suppose that does make sense. He always was remarkably discerning like that. Perhaps he’ll be fine, then. But regardless, there’s a very slim chance of that. He’s not regained consciousness in any proper degree since his injury. There’s..." Linhardt sighed before walking over to Ferdinand and tugging him away from Hubert. “I need you to discuss with Edelgard what might happen if he doesn’t wake up. It’s been almost a week. At this point...I don’t know how likely it will be that he wakes up at all.”

“What? He’ll wake up. Of course he will.” Ferdinand couldn’t help the quiet laugh as he thought about that, before he looked at Linhardt and the concern clearly written in the furrowed brow, the sharp alertness without the usual trace of exhaustion that usually lined Linhardt’s face. “He’s not going to wake up, is he?”

“I don’t know.” Linhardt frowned at Ferdinand before shrugging. “I don’t know at all. If he had fallen back into this state after waking up when he was injured, I’d think that he’d be better off. However, I can’t find a way to wake him up in this case. He might not wake up.”

Ferdinand frowned before he nodded and left, needing to talk to Edelgard about this new-found information. It couldn’t be correct, Linhardt needed to be grossly inflating the chance that Hubert wouldn’t be fine, but he acknowledged the necessity to prepare in case he wasn’t. Imagining a world in which Hubert wasn’t there hurt, though, and Ferdinand shook his head as he tried not to think about it. Hubert would be fine. He had to be fine, if only so that Ferdinand could get him that box of coffee that had been so difficult to find for him in the midst of the war. 

“Linhardt!”

“This is the infirmary, Edelgard. Please be mindful of the patients.”

“Edelgard, please, Lin’s just trying to do their job.” Ferdinand frowned as he followed after Edelgard, wishing he had somehow managed to be able to tell her the news about Hubert better. 

“Listen to Ferdinand, for once. And this is still the infirmary. Both of you need to be quiet.” Linhardt sighed softly, pressing the heel of his hand against their forehead before glancing back at Hubert, sighing softly. “Look, I’m trying to take care of him. I’m absolutely exhausting myself trying to muster enough Faith to heal him. I’m not slacking. I napped before. Now you all get to nap, while I’m fresh and starting to work. I’ll drag Ferdinand in later if I need to rest. He can take over the healing if you’re both so worried about it.”

“What?”

“Ferdinand?”

Linhardt hummed softly before nodding. “He’s been working on Faith over the past few years. Since the Professor confided in him that they were going to work towards making him a Holy Knight. Isn’t that right, Ferdinand?”

Ferdinand blinked, glancing between Edelgard and Linhardt for a few moments before finally nodding, glancing away and tugging at his gloves, trying not to feel as though he was put on the spot. “That is correct, yes. However I’m not nearly as gifted as you are, Lin.”

“No matter. You can stay put. Just the simple Heal spell or the Physic spell.” I need some rest. I haven’t slept in two days. Edelgard, you’ll need to carry me to my chambers before I collapse.”

Edelgard made a quiet noise of confusion before Linhardt promptly passed out. At least the young emperor was able to catch them before they hit their head as well, and Ferdinand frowned. Linhardt  _ had _ been going too hard recently, if the way they had already fallen asleep was any sort of indication, and he looked back at Hubert. 

“You’ll be fine?” Edelgard asked quietly, even as she shifted Linhardt in her arms. 

“I will, yes.” Ferdinand took a deep breath before making his way over to Hubert’s side, murmuring the quiet words and twisting his hands in the motions for the familiar healing magic. He might not know how to do it as well as Linhardt, but at least these spells were simple enough. He could manage it, hopefully. 

Ferdinand quietly continued the spells, closing his eyes as he forced the magic to the surface. He needed Hubert fine. He needed to take care of Hubert, needed to talk to him and see if they could fix whatever relationship had been broken in the first place between the two of them. 

The moments passed, long and slow, every motion and shift of his hands deliberate and unshaking, as best he could manage. He knew these spells, remembered the Professor helping him through the motions as best they could. It would be fine. Hubert would be fine. 

Ferdinand wasn’t sure how long had passed, how much time had shifted from the time Edelgard left with Linhardt and now, but he jumped as he heard a quiet noise from next to him. He opened his eyes, looking over Hubert before jumping again as he saw Hubert’s hand shift, slowly closing before reaching up to his head. 

“Hubert? Are you...Hubert, can you hear me? You’re in Linhardt’s infirmary. You’re safe, I promise you.” Ferdinand took a deep breath, pulling a chair over as he looked at Hubert before sighing softly as he watched his eyes slowly flutter open. He couldn’t even hide the smile as Hubert shifted, focusing on him, though the smile quickly faded at the confused look on Hubert’s face. 

“I’m...I’m sorry, but..." Hubert trailed off, voice hoarse and rough, and Ferdinand quickly turned, taking the water off the nightstand and pressing it to Hubert’s lips.

“Here, have a sip. You’ll be okay.” 

Hubert pulled away, refusing to drink the clear liquid as he looked at Ferdinand, distrust quickly painting over the confusion. “Who are you? Where am I?

**Author's Note:**

> Hopefully you enjoyed this! I might (probably eventually) will continue this, however I'm not sure when it will happen at all. If it will happen. But it was interesting and amusing and I hope everyone's in pain now. Thank you for reading! I hope you liked it! Comments are always welcome!


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